Russia appears to have used banned cluster munitions to indiscriminately shell civilian areas in Ukraine's east that had stood up to V...
Russia appears to have used banned cluster munitions to indiscriminately shell civilian areas in Ukraine's east that had stood up to Vladimir Putin's invasion in what would constitute a war crime.
Kharkiv, which has witnessed some of the heaviest fighting of the war so far, was hit by rockets fired from Russian positions on Monday - with video showing a shopping centre in the Serpnia area blanketed by explosions. A military source told MailOnline that the videos showed 'cluster' munitions had been used.
'The BM-21 Grad is a multiple launch rocket system used for 'area denial', dropping cluster bombs on a concentrated area,' the expert said. 'It's mainly used on enemy troops before an offensive. Used against civilians, it's not only a war crime, but has only one purpose – to spread terror and alarm among the civilian population.'
Graphic images and video revealed streets littered with the bodies of dead and badly wounded civilians, with other images showing showing spent BM-21 Grad rocket cartridges laying in the streets and having fallen through apartment roofs.
Cluster munitions were also to destroy a school in Okhtyrka, activist group Amnesty said, in which three people including a child were killed. The attack 'appears to have been carried out by Russian forces, which were operating nearby, and which have a record of using cluster munitions in populated areas,' Amnesty said.
'There is no possible justification for dropping cluster munitions in populated areas, let alone near a school,' secretary Agnes Callamard added.
The blasts mark some of the most-serious attacks on civilians since the war began five days ago, and came despite Ukrainian and Russian delegations sitting down in Belarus for 'peace talks'.
Ukraine said ahead of the negotiations that it is seeking a ceasefire and total withdrawal of all Russian forces from its country, with President Zelensky saying he was not hopeful of results but had to try. Moscow would not be drawn on what its ambitions are.
Observers have warned that the talks could pre-sage an increase in violence, as Putin increasingly deploys heavy weaponry that was absent from early fighting in an attempt to force a victory that he has been unable to achieve by subtler means.
Putin himself dashed many hopes for the talks today when, in a call with Emmanuel Macron, he said that he is willing to negotiate with Ukraine - but on the basis that it is disarmed, 'de-Nazified', recognises Crimea as Russian soil and declares neutrality. Kyiv is highly unlikely to accept those terms.
There are fears that Kyiv could soon come under very heavy attack, after the Kremlin warned civilians to leave the city via a 'safe route' to the south-west. Russia used similar tactics in Syrian cities while fighting alongside Basahar al-Assad before its forces heavily bombed them.
Russian armour is currently working to surround Kyiv with tank manoeuvering to cut it off from the west, after attacks by advanced forces failed to penetrate the outskirts. Colonel General Alexander Syrsky said early Monday that Kyiv had survived another night while inflicting 'heavy losses' on Russian attackers.
US intelligence believes around 75 per cent of Russian forces positioned on the borders with Ukraine are now inside the country.
Though Russian advanced forces have been fighting in Kyiv's outskirts for several days, the bulk of Putin's assault force is still located around 20 miles away having been slowed up by determined resistance fighters - with satellite images revealing a huge column of vehicles headed for the city.
The cities of Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, and Chernihiv were also bombed overnight, with air raid sirens sounding in other areas.
In the south, Russians reported capturing the port city of Berdiansk with troops and armoured vehicles shown rolling through the centre, and were closing in on the city of Mariupol which was in danger of becoming surrounded - though remained under Ukrainian control as of the early hours.
Speaking on Monday morning, President Volodymyr Zelensky called for Ukraine to be 'immediately' admitted to the EU - after the alliance stepped up to supply hundreds of million of dollars of military aid to Ukraine, a first in the bloc's history - saying his country had 'earned' the right. He also said Russia's attack had so-far killed 15 children, and wounded dozens more.
U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet says her office has confirmed that 102 civilians, including 7 children, have been killed, and 304 others injured in violence in Ukraine since Thursday, as she cautioned that the tally was likely a vast undercount.
It came amid reports that Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko is poised to throw his own troops into the fighting, which US intelligence said could come as soon as Monday. The move follows on from Chechen forces being thrown into battle, which led to the almost-immediate destruction of a column of armoured vehicles and the death of one of their top generals.
Belarus on Sunday also voted to amend the country's constitution allowing them to host Russian nuclear weapons, which came after Vladimir Putin's chilling order to his defence chiefs to put the country's nuclear weapons on 'alert' in response to 'threats' from the West.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that Russia's decision to raise the nuclear alert was 'a reckless, dangerous decision'. He added: 'There's no reason for that. NATO is no threat to Russia. We don't seek confrontation with Russia.'
Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, came under heavy bombardment from indiscriminate Russian artillery and may have been hit by so-called 'cluster' munitions, causing 'dozens' of casualties
A spent Russian rocket is seen embedded in the floor of an apartment building in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, after Putin's forces unleashed a bombardment against civilian areas
Part of a Russian rocket is seen in the street outside a shop in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, after bombardment by Russian forces
A destroyed Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle is seen next to a spent missile casing in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, which came under attack from 'cluster' munitions today
Ukraine war, day 5: Russian forces are now attempting to skirt around Kyiv and encircle it from the west. Troops fighting out of Crimea continue to make gains and are likely to surround Mariupol soon, while also reaching the outskirts of a key Ukrainian nuclear plant. Fighting in the east continues to be heavy with no breakthrough for Putin
Kyiv has been holding out for days against Russian attempts to breach the outskirts of the city, with tanks now trying to encircle it and a large column of armour approaching amid fears the fighting could get much worse
A destroyed school is seen not far from the city of Kharkiv, which Amnesty said had been hit by cluster munitions
This photograph shows a view of a school destroyed as a result of fight not far from the center of Ukrainian city of Kharkiv
The burned-out remains of a school are seen in the Kharkiv region, eastern Ukraine, after it was hit by Russian rockets 
A Russian tank is pictured driving through Borodyanka, to the north-west of Kyiv, as Russian forces attempt to encircle the Ukrainian capital from the west
An armed Ukrainian guard is seen on the streets of Kyiv on Monday morning as security is stepped up amid fears of more-frequent and bloodier Russian attacks
Security guards in Kyiv search a car amid fears that Russian undercover units will increasingly try to stage sabotage attacks in order to pave the way for a ground offensive
Smoke rises over the city of Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, where fierce fighting is going on as Russian troops try to take it
An apartment building is pictured on fire in Chernihiv, north of Kyiv, as Russian forces continue to try and reach the Ukrainian capital en masse so they can seize the city
Smoke rises over Kyiv on Monday morning as the city awoke from a night of heavy Russian bombardment to relative calm, though there are fears that Moscow's troops could quickly step up their attacks
A Ukrainian military vehicle is seen after the curfew was lifted, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Kyiv
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov arrives to attend the talks between delegations from Ukraine and Russia in Belarus's Gomel region on Monday morning
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